Detailed Action
Summary
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 .
1. This office action is in response to the application filed on November 27, 2024.
2. Claims 1-10 are pending and has been examined.
Priority
3. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d), which the certified copy has been placed in the record of the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/26/2025 and 11/27/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
5. The drawings submitted on 11/27/2024 are acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
6. 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.
(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 1-3, 5-8 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) (a)(120 as being anticipated by Oshima “JP2016199196”
In re to claim 1, Oshima disclose a control method (Figs.1-10 shows power transmission device 10 and method of operation. Examiner noted that Figs. 1-10 are considered as the same embodiment) comprising: precharging (precharge circuits 58 and 68 for applying, to drains of the MOSFETs 51 and 61 see, parag.0043 and Figs. 2a-C) , in a state where both of a first switching element (51) and a second switching element (61) in a power conversion device (Fig. 1) are turned off when the first and second switching elements perform a synchronous rectification operation (Fig. 2 : dead time Td for both switch 51 and 61 are off), one end of the first switching element (51) the first and second switching elements being half-bridge connected between an input node and an output node (Fig.1 and 10 shows 51 and 16 are configured as half bridge and coupled between an input and output node at 22) , and the power conversion device converting an AC voltage into a DC voltage (drain terminal of 58 is coupled to the positive bus of AC power 12, see parag.0023) ; and turning on the second switching element after the precharging the one end of the first switching element is completed (the dead time Td is set to be equal to or greater than the precharge time Tpre. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (c), the lower arm MOSFET 61 turns on after precharging is completed. As a result, the lower arm voltage Vds 2 decreases while the upper arm voltage Vds 1 rises, see prag.0070. Examiner noted that the precharging circuit 68 will perform the charging operation for the lower arm 61 in the same manner as of precharging 58 shown in Figs. 2a-c, see prag.0117-0118)
In re to claim 2, Oshima disclose (Figs. 1-10), further comprising: precharging, in a second state where both of the first switching element and the second switching element are turned off (Fig. 2 : dead time Td for both switch 51 and 61) one end of the second switching element; and turning on the first switching element after the precharging the one end of the second switching element is completed (the lower arm MOSFET 61 turns OFF, so that the preliminary voltage Vpre is applied to the drain of the lower arm MOSFET 61. As a result, the parasitic capacitor Cx of the lower arm MOSFET 61 is precharged. see parag. 00116-0118) .
In re to claim 3, Oshima disclose (Figs. 1-10), wherein the precharging the one end of the first switching element includes: turning off the first switching element in a state where the second switching element is turned off (Fig. 2 : dead time Td for both switch 51 and 61 are off ); at a second timing after the first timing (see Fig.2C when a precharge time Tpre increasing as slope is considered second timing and prag.006-0070); starting to supply electric charge to the one end of the first switching element after the first switching element is turned off (see Figs. 2a-C , see parag. 0068-0071); and terminating the supply of electric charge to the one end of the first switching element depending on passage of a first time from the starting to supply the electric charge (when precharge time Tpre reaches to Vpre voltage level) , terminates the supply of electric charge to the one end of the first switching element (see Fig. prag.0069-0070) .
In re to claim 5, Oshima disclose (Figs. 1-10) a third switching element (Fig.10 : switch 51b) connected between a second input node and the first output node (drain coupled to the positive bus line), the second input node being input with the AC voltage (source coupled to the output load 22 node) ; and a fourth switching element (60b) connected between the second input node (source coupled to negative AC bus 12) and a second output node (node 22) , the fourth switching element performing a power factor improvement operation together with the third switching element (MOSFETs 51b and 61b may are added to form full bridge which to improve the power factor of the converter), wherein the third switching element and the fourth switching element perform the power factor improvement operation in parallel with the synchronous rectification operation ( MOSFETs 51b and 61b may be configured to variably control the pulse width which improve the power factor of the converter).
In re to claim 6, Oshima disclose a power conversion device (Figs.1 shows power transmission device 10. Examiner noted that Figs. 1-10 are considered as the same embodiment) comprising: a first switching element (61) connected between a first input node (drain terminal of 58 is coupled to the positive bus of AC power 12, see prag.0022-0023) and a first output node (connection node 42 output voltage to the positive plate of capacitor 13b) , the first input node being input with an AC voltage (power supply 30); a second switching element (61) connected between the first input node (source terminal of 51 is coupled to negative bus of the AC power 12) and a second output node (drain of 11 is coupled to node 42) , the second switching element performing a synchronous rectification operation together with the first switching element (Fig. 2 : dead time Td for both switch 51 and 61) ; a first precharge circuit (upper arm precharge circuits 68,) configured to be able to precharge one end of the first switching element (see prag. 0066-0068and Fig.2); and
a second precharge circuit (lower arm precharge circuit 68) configured to be able to precharge one end of the second switching element (see prag. 0064 and 0068 and Fig. 2), wherein the power conversion device causes the first precharge circuit to precharge the one end of the first switching element in a state where both of the first and second switching elements are turned off (see Fig. 2a- C and parag.0068-0070 and 0117-0118) , and turns on the second switching element after the precharging by the first precharge circuit is completed (the dead time Td is set to be equal to or greater than the precharge time Tpre. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (c), the lower arm MOSFET 61 turns on after precharging is completed. As a result, the lower arm voltage Vds 2 decreases while the upper arm voltage Vds 1 rises, see prag.0070. Examiner noted that the precharging circuit 68 will perform the charging operation for the lower arm 61 in the same manner as shown in Figs. 2a-c, see prag.0117-0118)
In re to claim 7, Oshima disclose (Figs. 1-10) wherein the power conversion device: precharges, in a second state where both of the first switching element and the second switching element are turned off, the one end of the second switching element; and turns on the first switching element after the precharging the one end of the second switching element is completed (the lower arm MOSFET 61 turns OFF, so that the preliminary voltage Vpre is applied to the drain of the lower arm MOSFET 61. As a result, the parasitic capacitor Cx of the lower arm MOSFET 61 is precharged. see parag. 00117-0118) .
In re to claim 8, Oshima disclose (Figs. 1-10) wherein the power conversion device: at a first timing, turns off the first switching element in a state where the second switching element is turned off (Fig. 2 : dead time Td for both switch 51 and 61 are off ); at a second timing after the first timing (see Fig.2C when a precharge time Tpre increasing as slope is considered second timing and prag.006-0070), starts to supply electric charge to the one end of the first switching element; and at a third timing at which a first time has elapsed from the second timing (when precharge time Tpre reaches to Vpre voltage level) , terminates the supply of electric charge to the one end of the first switching element (see Figs. 2a-c and prag.0069-0070) .
In re to claim 10, Oshima disclose (Figs. 1-10) a third switching element (Fig.10 : switch 51b) connected between a second input node and the first output node (drain coupled to the positive bus line), the second input node being input with the AC voltage (source coupled to the output load 22 node) ; and a fourth switching element (60b) connected between the second input node (source coupled to negative AC bus 12) and a second output node (node 22) , the fourth switching element performing a power factor improvement operation together with the third switching element (MOSFETs 51b and 61b may are added to form full bridge which to improve the power factor of the converter), wherein the third switching element and the fourth switching element perform the power factor improvement operation in parallel with the synchronous rectification operation ( MOSFETs 51b and 61b may be configured to variably control the pulse width which improve the power factor of the converter).
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 4 and 9 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 4 is objected because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest electronic device including the limitation of “turning off the first switching element in a state where the second switching element is turned off; starting to supply electric charge to the one end of the first switching element after the first switching element is turned off; and terminating the supply of electric charge to the one end of the first switching element depending on passage of a first time from the starting to supply the electric charge, and the precharging the one end of the second switching element includes: turning off the second switching element in a state where the first switching element is turned off; starting to supply electric charge to the one end of the second switching element after the second switching element is turned off; and terminating the supply of electric charge to the one end of the second switching element depending on passage of a second time from the starting to supply the electric charge. .”
Claim 9 is objected because the prior art of record fails to disclose or suggest electronic device including the limitation of “a first timing, turns off the first switching element in a state where the second switching element is turned off; at a second timing after the first timing, starts to supply electric charge to the one end of the first switching element; at a third timing at which a first time has elapsed from the second timing, terminates the supply of electric charge to the one end of the first switching element; at a fourth timing, turns off the second switching element in a state where the first switching element is turned off; at a fifth timing after the fourth timing, starts to supply electric charge to the one end of the second switching element; and at a sixth timing at which a second time has elapsed from the fifth timing, terminates the supply of electric charge to the one end of the second switching element.”
Conclusion
8. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
He”10536087” the present discloses Novel aspects of the present disclosure relate to power converters, and more particularly to an improved half-bridge power converter with a pre-charging circuit to reduce the voltage imbalance across the bulk capacitor banks, which reduces the asymmetrical peak voltage stress across secondary-side devices.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SISAY G TIKU whose telephone number is (571)272-6898. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30AM-6:00PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Crystal L 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. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SISAY G TIKU/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
Prosecution Insights