DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the application filed on 12/2/2024
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 11-12 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Regarding claim 11, the limitation “the DC bus” lacks proper antecedent basis and should be written as “a DC bus”. Furthermore, it’s not clear how the DC bus is connected/associated with the welding-type power supply. Dependent claim 12 inherits the deficiencies of claim 11 and is therefore also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112 (b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-9, 13-14, 16-18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Madsen et al. (US 2020/0171594) in view of An et al. (US Patent 9601917). Regarding claim 1, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) a polarity reversing buck converter circuit, comprising: a first bus node (40) and a second bus node (44), the first bus node configured to receive a first DC voltage with respect to the second bus node (connection of nodes to capacitor 22); a first output terminal (36) and a second output terminal (58); a first switching device (26) configured to selectively couple the first output terminal to the first bus node (operation of 26 connecting 36 to 40); a second switching device (30) configured to selectively couple the first output terminal to the second bus node (operation of 30 connecting 36 to 44); a third switching device configured (48) to selectively couple the second output terminal to the first bus node (operation of 48 connection 58 to 40); a fourth switching device (52) configured to selectively couple the second output terminal to the second bus node (operation of 52 connecting 58 to 44), and control circuitry (controller used in controlling the operation of 26, 30, 48, and 52) configured to: control the third switching device and the fourth switching device to couple the second output terminal to one of the first bus node or the second bus node, based on a selected output polarity for the first output terminal and the second output terminal (operation of 48 and 52 turning on/off, see fig. 3-10); and based on the selected output polarity, control the first switching device and the second switching device to perform DC-DC conversion to convert the first DC voltage to a second DC voltage (operation of 26 and 30 turning on/off, see fig. 3-10) and output the second DC voltage as positive or negative at the first output terminal relative to the second output terminal (output voltage at OUTPUT). Madsen et al. does not disclose that each of the third switching device and the fourth switching device comprising a contactor, a relay, or a mechanical switch. An et al. discloses (see fig. 1-2) that each of a third switching device and a fourth switching device comprising a contactor, a relay, or a mechanical switch (see switching portion 210). Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the circuit of Madsen et al. to include the features of An et al. because it allows for a specific design choice, which can provide a specific/desired type of operation, thus reducing operational variances and increasing operational efficiencies. Regarding claim 2, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) a rectifier configured to convert an AC input to supply the first DC voltage to the DC bus (see paragraph 0025). Regarding claim 3, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) that the first switching device and the second switching device each comprise a transistor (26 and 30 are transistors). Regarding claim 4, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) an inductor (34) coupled between the first and second switching devices and the first output terminal (34 connection between 26/30 and 36). Regarding claim 5, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) that the control circuitry (controller used in controlling the operation of 26, 30, 48, and 52) is configured to control the first output terminal (36) to be a negative voltage with respect to the second output terminal (58) by: controlling the third switching device to couple the second output terminal to the first bus node (48 being on); controlling the fourth switching device to be open (58 being off); and controlling the second switching device to drive an output of the buck converter circuit (see fig. 5). Regarding claim 6, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) that the control circuitry (controller used in controlling the operation of 26, 30, 48, and 52) is configured to control the first switching device (26) to provide synchronous rectification (operation of 26 turning on/off). Regarding claim 7, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) that the control circuitry (controller used in controlling the operation of 26, 30, 48, and 52) is configured to control the first output terminal (36) to be a positive voltage with respect to the second output terminal (58) by: controlling the fourth switching device to couple the second output terminal to the second bus node (58 being on); controlling the third switching device to be open (48 being off); and controlling the first switching device to drive an output of the buck converter circuit (see fig. 3). Regarding claim 8, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) that the control circuitry (controller used in controlling the operation of 26, 30, 48, and 52) is configured to control the second switching device (30) to provide synchronous rectification (operation of 30 turning on/off). Regarding claim 9, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) a welding-type power supply, comprising: a first welding-type output terminal (36) and a second welding-type output terminal (58); and a polarity reversing buck converter circuit (20) configured to convert input power to output welding-type power to the first welding-type output terminal and the second welding-type output terminal (operation of 20), and to control a polarity of the first welding-type output terminal with respect to the second welding-type output terminal (operation of 20), the buck converter circuit comprising: a first bus node (40) and a second bus node (44), the first bus node configured to receive a first DC voltage with respect to the second bus node (connection of nodes to capacitor 22); a first switching device (26) configured to selectively couple the first welding-type output terminal to the first bus node (operation of 26); a second switching device (30) configured to selectively couple the first welding-type output terminal to the second bus node (operation of 30); a third switching device (48) configured to selectively couple the second welding-type output terminal to the first bus node (operation of 48); a fourth switching device (52) configured to selectively couple the second welding-type output terminal to the second bus node (operation of 52); and control circuitry (controller used in controlling the operation of 26, 30, 48, and 52) configured to: control the third switching device and the fourth switching device to couple the second welding-type output terminal to one of the first bus node or the second bus node, based on a selected output polarity for the first welding-type output terminal and the second welding-type output terminal (operation of 48 and 52 turning on/off, see fig. 3-10); and based on the selected output polarity, control the first switching device and the second switching device to perform DC-DC conversion to convert the first DC voltage to a second DC voltage (operation of 26 and 30 turning on/off, see fig. 3-10) and output the second DC voltage as positive or negative at the first welding-type output terminal relative to the second welding-type output terminal (output voltage at OUTPUT). Madsen et al. does not disclose that each of the third switching device and the fourth switching device comprising a contactor, a relay, or a mechanical switch. An et al. discloses (see fig. 1-2) that each of a third switching device and a fourth switching device comprising a contactor, a relay, or a mechanical switch (see switching portion 210). Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the circuit of Madsen et al. to include the features of An et al. because it allows for a specific design choice, which can provide a specific/desired type of operation, thus reducing operational variances and increasing operational efficiencies. Regarding claim 13, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) a rectifier configured to convert an AC input to supply the first DC voltage to the DC bus (see paragraph 0025). Regarding claim 14, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) that the rectifier is configured to receive the AC input from a single-phase or three-phase mains supply (see paragraph 0025). Regarding claim 16, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) that the control circuitry (controller used in controlling the operation of 26, 30, 48, and 52) is configured to control the first welding-type output terminal (36) to be a positive voltage with respect to the second welding-type output terminal (58) by: controlling the fourth switching device to couple the second welding-type output terminal to the second bus node (58 being on); controlling the third switching device to be open (48 being off); and controlling the first switching device to drive an output of the buck converter circuit (see fig. 3). Regarding claim 17, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) that the control circuitry (controller used in controlling the operation of 26, 30, 48, and 52) is configured to control the first welding-type output terminal (36) to be a negative voltage with respect to the second welding-type output terminal (58) by: controlling the third switching device to couple the second welding-type output terminal to the first bus node (48 being on); controlling the fourth switching device to be open (58 being off); and controlling the second switching device to drive an output of the buck converter circuit (see fig. 5). Regarding claim 18, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) that the first switching device and the second switching device each comprise a transistor (26 and 30 are transistors). Regarding claim 20, Madsen et al. discloses (see fig. 2-10) a polarity reversing buck converter circuit, comprising: a first bus node (40) and a second bus node (44), the first bus node configured to receive a first DC voltage with respect to the second bus node (connection of nodes to capacitor 22); a first output terminal (36) and a second output terminal (58); a first switching device (26) configured to selectively couple the first output terminal to the first bus node (operation of 26 connecting 36 to 40); a second switching device (30) configured to selectively couple the first output terminal to the second bus node (operation of 30 connecting 36 to 44); a switching device (43) configured to selectively couple the second output terminal to the first bus node or the second bus node (operation of 43 connecting 58 to 50 or 44); and control circuitry (controller used in controlling the operation of 26, 30, 48, and 52) configured to: control the switching device to couple the second output terminal to one of the first bus node or the second bus node, based on a selected output polarity for the first output terminal and the second output terminal (operation of 43 turning on/off, see fig. 3-10); and based on the selected output polarity, control the first switching device and the second switching device to perform DC-DC conversion to convert the first DC voltage to a second DC voltage (operation of 26 and 30 turning on/off, see fig. 3-10) and output the second DC voltage as positive or negative at the first output terminal relative to the second welding-type output terminal (output voltage at OUTPUT). Madsen et al. does not disclose that the switching device comprising a relay. An et al. discloses (see fig. 1-2) that a switching device comprising a relay (see switching portion 210). Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the circuit of Madsen et al. to include the features of An et al. because it allows for a specific design choice, which can provide a specific/desired type of operation, thus reducing operational variances and increasing operational efficiencies.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Madsen et al. (US 2020/0171594) in view of An et al. (US Patent 9601917) and Zwayer (US 2022/0111461). Regarding claim 10, Madsen et al. does not disclose the control circuitry is configured to automatically select the polarity based on an input representative of a welding-type process. Zwayer discloses (see fig. 1a) control circuitry (36) is configured to automatically select the polarity based on an input representative of a welding-type process (se paragraph 0036). Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the circuit of Madsen et al. to include the features of Zwayer because it’s used as means to reduce unwanted operations due to transient events, thus increasing operational efficiencies.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Madsen et al. (US 2020/0171594) in view of An et al. (US Patent 9601917) and Salsich et al. (US Patent 12377487). Regarding claim 15, Madsen et al. discloses an AC input to the rectifier (see paragraph 0025). Madsen et al. does not disclose an engine and a generator configured to supply the AC input. Salsich et al. discloses (see fig. 1) an engine and a generator configured to supply an AC input (see column 3 lines 57-59). Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the circuit of Madsen et al. to include the features of Salsich et al. because it allows for a specific design choice, which can provide a specific/desired type of operation, thus reducing operational variances and increasing operational efficiencies.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Madsen et al. (US 2020/0171594) in view of An et al. (US Patent 9601917) and Gurtner et al. (US Patent 10847332). Regarding claim 19, Madsen et al. does not disclose that the third switching device and the fourth switching device each comprise a contactor. Gurtner et al. discloses (see fig. 2) that a third switching device and a fourth switching device each comprise a contactor (see main and auxiliary contactors in 18). Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the circuit of Madsen et al. to include the features of Gurtner et al. because it allows for a specific design choice, which can provide a specific/desired type of operation, thus reducing operational variances and increasing operational efficiencies.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Henry (US 2019/0030634) discloses methods and apparatus to provide welding power.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY A GBLENDE whose telephone number is (571)270-5472. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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/JEFFREY A GBLENDE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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